In that distinctive rat-a-tat or, as he puts it, “million miles an hour” style
Gary Neville is unequivocal as to why he accepted the role as a coach
alongside England manager Roy Hodgson: “It’s England, I loved playing for
England, I love my country,” says the man who won 85 international caps
before his retirement in 2011.

Back to his grassroots: Gary Neville returns to Bury Juniors FC, where he first played football, as part of The 2013 FA Community AwardsPhoto: PA

"But it was no plan of mine to go into coaching,” he adds. “I was quite comfortable that I had stepped out of football and I didn’t want to rush things — while not dismissing the fact that I did want to go back in eventually.”

Then, however, the call came more quickly than expected in May last year from the Football Association to go and meet the newly appointed England manager.

“Roy is a fantastic coach and when I watch him take a session he believes wholly in the ethic of coaching,” Neville explains passionately. “He takes nearly all the sessions and I’m there to help and support the manager.”

That starts again this week with the England squad meeting up ahead of two vital World Cup qualification ties — away to San Marino on Friday and then away to the Group H leaders, Montenegro, the following Tuesday.

England are two points behind in second place after four matches and qualification is in the balance. While not dismissing the first opponents, the group’s whipping boys, it is instructive that Neville admits to already having watched “maybe 30” videos of the Montenegrins.

“I’ve lost count,” the 38-year-old says, adding that immediately ahead of this interview he had watched, for the second time, the Montenegrins’ tie away to Ukraine which ended in an impressive 1-0 victory for the visitors.

“You try and get as much information into your mind as you possibly can about each individual player and that’s what part of the coaching is.”

That information-gathering sits well, of course, with Neville’s other job — as a match analyst and commentator for Sky Sports. There was some surprise that he decided to combine the roles.

“I wouldn’t say it’s tricky,” Neville contends. “To be fair, what actually happens between international matches is that the coaching staff watch football matches. Well, that’s what I do. The Sky job was there before I got my England role and I try to be my very best and to be honest, and if you are honest when assessing matches then people will be OK with you. It’s when you don’t get it right that it’s difficult.”

Neville is scrupulous about backing his opinions with “stats, visual presentations” and is adamant he has to give “substance” to what he says – otherwise he will “drop it” – although he also knows that eventually something will have to give.

“I’m not naive and think that both roles can go on forever,” says Neville, who was speaking at Bury Juniors FC, which was founded by Neville’s parents and where his career began, in his role as a McDonald’s and FA Community Awards Ambassador. “I’m not stupid and eventually I will have to make a choice or something will happen with the England job or the Sky role. But I love doing both things.”

However, he offers a clue as to where he may, finally, end up. “There’s nothing like going into a changing room and being part of the ‘inside’. Looking out on to that pitch,” Neville says.

“When I work for Sky I don’t have anxiety about what’s going to happen in the match. I have anxiety about making sure that I’m professional and say the right things. That’s a different type of feeling whereas with England you are just so desperate for the team to do well, for the fans, for everyone.”

That anxiety level will rise should England not gain a positive result in Podgorica. Qualifying for next year’s World Cup Finals in Brazil is, Neville states, “critical”.

“I was part of a team that didn’t qualify for Euro 2008, the last time we didn’t qualify, and that was painful, really painful,” Neville says. “England believes and should believe that it will always be at tournaments.”

Not that getting there has always been straightforward and Neville adds: “Qualification is in our hands but the idea that qualification for England is always simple is not true.

In four tournaments that I got to it came down to the very last game or the play-offs. People say, ‘Oh qualification is going to be tough’, but I’ve never known it not to be tough; there are many tournaments when it’s gone down to that last group game and this time is no different. It’s going to be tough.”

It might also affect the “new generation” of players that Hodgson is integrating into the England squad. “We are talking about a natural transition and I think it’s exciting,” says Neville as he reels off a host of the names from Jack Wilshere, out of these qualifiers through injury of course, through to Danny Welbeck.

“Roy is embracing it while also being respectful of the players who got us to the European Championship.”

There will be much focus this week on the man who Sir Alex Ferguson described as “England’s stellar player” but who was omitted from Manchester United’s Champions League match at home to Real Madrid, sparking much debate over his future: Wayne Rooney. Again, Neville is uniquely placed to comment, having, he says, spent 20 years inside the United bubble, a large part of that as the striker’s team-mate.

“You look at someone like Wayne Rooney,” Neville says. “[Shinji] Kagawa scored a hat-trick [v Norwich City], he’s a £15m signing, he was left out of the team but then no one mentions it? Nemanja Vidic got left out two weeks ago and he’s the captain of the club, a fantastic centre-back. Ryan Giggs doesn’t play every week.

“With Wayne Rooney it’s the English thing. With England it’s big. It always has been — the euphoria that surrounds England players. It’s the same with Frank Lampard at Chelsea — his contract situation gets so much publicity because he’s an England player.

"The reason why we are more interested, why the media are more interested is because he’s an England star. It’s absolutely the way it has always been.

“Think about Bobby Charlton, Gascoigne — Keegan going into the World Cup in 1982. Think about Beckham when he was left out by Steve McClaren.

"This doesn’t change with England, it’s an England thing. Sir Alex Ferguson is absolutely right – when you leave an England player out, and one of England’s very best players, you know that the headlines are going to be big.

"But the fact of the matter is that he has been emphatic that Wayne Rooney will be at Manchester United next season.

“It always makes me giggle, particularly since I left the club, because I was there for 20 years, and you are protected by it, you are secure, you don’t read that much, you don’t see that much.

"When you come out of it you see the euphoria and wild scrutiny and exaggeration that exists at times because one player has been left out of one match. I just giggle and think, ‘Was it like that when I was playing?’ It probably was.”

Interestingly, Neville has no doubts over Rooney or his future and why Ferguson omitted him. “Wayne is a mature player,” he says. “He’s intense in the way that he wears his heart on his sleeve but, to be fair, it won’t affect him.

"He’s the type of player who will get on with it, the club will get on with it, Sir Alex Ferguson will get on with it.

“All players have egos; they all want to play every single weekend but it’s not possible. But the manager manages it incredibly well.

"In 26 years it’s rare for there to have been a bad word from a player who has been left out. They all know full well that they are playing for Manchester United and are lucky to be there in the first place.

"That’s the way I looked at it. There were games when I was left out and I was disappointed but the club’s the biggest thing.”

Indeed Neville argues that the decision was a simple one. “You have to remember that he [Ferguson] introduced and pioneered the squad system,” he says. “He’s the one who created the system of having four strikers – no one had four strikers before Sir Alex Ferguson.

"He is the one who pioneered rotation – the idea that Giggs would play on a Sunday against Arsenal and [Jesper] Blomqvist would play on the Wednesday, that [Dennis] Irwin would play Saturday and Phil Neville on Wednesday.

"You have to look back through history and see what he’s done with all these players. It’s always been the same It’s just the way of that club and the euphoria that surrounds it is just incredible.”

Just like being involved with England.

Gary Neville was speaking on a visit to Bury Juniors FC, the club where his illustrious career with Manchester United and England began. Neville met with coaches and young players to talk about the importance of recognising the volunteers and coaches who work in the grassroots game. He has urged people to nominate their grassroots heroes as part of The 2013 FA Community Awards, presented by McDonald’s. Nominate at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/awards